Display apparatus



Jan( 1s, 1927. 1,614,714

M. R. CASTILLE DISPLAY APPARATUS Filed August 22, 1925 2 Sheets--Shemd 1gvvuento m7, v61110: m1,;

Jan. 18, 1927.

M. R. CASTILLE DIS-PLAY APPARATUS Filed August 22, 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet 2(g1/munter,

Patented Jan. 18, 1927.

MICHEL R. CASTILLE, OF OPELOUSAS, LOUISIANA.

DISPLAY APARATUS.

Application filed August 22, 1925.

memory so that he may speak uninterrupt-v i edly without fear of beingen'ibarrassed by a loss of memory as to the text of his address. yTheinvention seeks to provide a reminder mechanism which will be undercontrol of thel speaker at all times and which will be so disposed asnot to be visible to the audience. The invention also has for its objectthe provision of means whereby the device will be operated efficientlyat all times and will not be apt to get out of order. Theinventionresides in certain novel features` which will be hereinafterfirst fully described and then more particularly pointedr out in theappended claim.

In the drawings, which illustrate one embodiment ofthe invention,

Figure 1 is a vertical sectional elevation of a portion of an assemblyhall having my invention included therein;

kFigl 2 is an ,enlarged detail perspective view showing the arrangementof the op-v erating parts of the invention;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged sectional elevation of the display cabinet withthe door thereof in open position;

f Fig. 4 is a central longitudinal section through the cabinet with thedoor in closed position;

Fig. 5 is an enlarged detail section of part ofthe means for supportingthe display strip or web, and

F ig. 6 is anenlarged detail view of a supporting bracket and portion ofthe gears carried thereby.

In the drawings, the reference numeral 1 indicates a platform or stageupon which a speaker will stand when delivering an address or lecture, adesk 2 being erected at the front of the platform and being equippedwith a vertical rail 3 at its front side which projects above the top 4thereof. Above the platform 1 is a roof 5 which may be a part of theroof of the building in which the platform is located, or may be theentire roof when the platform is located for open air speaking. The roofprojects beyond the front of the platform, as shown at 6, whereby tooverhang the desk 2, and at the front of the roof is a rail or othersupport 7 which is preferably at such height that it may be easilyobserved by the speaker upon the serieu No. 51,847.

platform 1 but will not attract the atten- "ion the audience seated orstanding' in `ront of the platform. Secured to the rail ay, furthermore,constitute a part o the eaves of the roof 5, is a cabinet 8 luwing aswinging door 9 provided with a sight opening 10, the door beingnormally closed so that matter within the cabinet may be easily seenthrough the opening 10l by the speaker. rFhe platform and the desk maybe illuminated in any desired manner and the greatest eiiiciency will beattained by providing lamps 11 upon the under side of kthe roof 5immediately over the cabinet 8 "at the sight opening 10 thereof will beectiy lighted and matter appearing back ci. 'the sight opening,therefore, easily read. iivithin the cabinet are supported rollers 12and 18 and carried by these rollers is a web 14 upon which has beenpreviously printed notes of the lecture or address to be delivered, or,.if desired', the entire text of the address. These rollers are providedwith longitudinal slits 15 in which the ends of the web are engaged sothat, if the rollers be rotated, the length of the web will be woundthereon and, consequently, the ends will be held in the respectiveslits, it being understood, of course, that the web in practice is foundupon one roller and then transferred from the same to the other rolleras the delivery proceeds. The lower roller 13 initially carries theentire length of the web 14, except so much thereof as is needed tosecurely engage it with the upper roller 12, the intermediate portion ofthe web assing over a supporting plate 16 which isA disposed immediatelyadjacent the sight opening 10 and has its upper and lower edges madeconvex so 'that vthe web may pass smoothly an1 easily over the backingplate without liability of tearing. rlhe rollers 12 and 13 are, ofcourse, assembled so as to facilitate the placing of a web thereon orthe removal of a, web therefrom and to support the lower roller in itsproper position a stud 17 is secured upon one side of the cabinet toengage a soci-:et in the adjacent end of the roller, as will beunderstood upon reference tov Fig. 3. the opposite end of the roller, aresilient het 18 is secured in the cabinet to bear against the end ofthe roller yand hold itin engagement with the stud 17 while a pin orstud l) is engaged in the bore or socket in the roller and passesthroughthe free end portieri of the said bracket 18, as shown Leiafrriclearly in Fig. 5. rhis pin or stud i9 has an enlarged socketed outerend 2O which is engaged by the inner end or stein 2l passing through thewall oit the cabinet and equipped at its outer end with head 22. Sispring 23 is coiled around the stein 2l between the side et the cabinetand the socket so as to hold the socket toward the l racket and therebyyieldably maintain the pin or stud 19 in en` gageinent with the roller.Tilhen it is desired to release the roller, an outward pull upon thehead 22 will obviously withdraw the pin 19 and permit the roller to bedisengaged troni the stud li' and withdrawn from the cabinet. 'llieupper roller l2 is supported at one end by a second stein 2l and stud 19but the opposite end thereolI is termed with spaced sockets 2l to beengaged by spaced studs upon a head or disk which is disposed at theinner end of a hub 26 which passes through and is rotatably engaged inthe side wall of the' cabinet. the outer end oi the hub is provided witha socket 2T having hat walls to be engaged by the tiat sided end 2S ofan operating shaft 29.

The shalt 29 is supported in suitable bearing brackets 'upon the railoi' beam 7 and ei:- tends to the side or the arch or proscenium openingin trent or the platform, a beveled pinion 30 being secured upon theouter end of the said shalt to mesa with a similar beveled pinion 3lupon the front end ot ashatt 32 which entends along the side et the archto a point in the vertical plane of the desk 2, being` equipped at itsrear enti with a beveled pinion corresponding to the pinions 8O and 3land meshing with a beveled pinion 3st upon the upper end et a shalt 35which is disposed vertically the side et the prosceniuni opening andentends downwardly to a point just above the desk, as shown. rl"he lowerend or the shaft 35 carries a beveled pinion 3G meshing with a beveledpinion 3T secured upon the end by a roller or hand-controlled shaft. 88which extends across the top of the desk 2 behind the rail 3 thereof sothat it will be hidden from the audience by the said rail, Bearingbrackets, such as 39, ar secured upon the side oi the arch immediatelyadjacent the roof so as to support the adjacent ends et the shafts 29,32 ano 35, and these brackets also provide the bearings in which theends of said shafts will revolve. fit the lower end ot the shaft 35 andthe adjacent end ot the controlling` roller 3S, a bracket- Ll0 issecured upon the desk and this bracket has an upstanding resilient endineaber Lil which supports the end oit the roller 38, and an outwardlyturned overhanging lip the upper end of the upstanding member, the saidlip furnishing bearing and support lor the lower end of the shaft r4Eheform of brackets employed serve to maintain the meshing pinions in theiroperative relation while at the saine time they are very simple andinexpensive and may be very easily secured iu place.

To maintain the web taut between the rollers l2 and i3 and preventexcessive .wound from said roller the controlling roller or shalt 238 isrotated, this movement wiil be arrested and it will be held taut andsmooth upon 'the siipporting plate l5 instantly when the action ot thecontrolling` roller stops.

hroin the foregoing description, taken in connection with thcaccon'ipanying drawings, it is thought the manner or using my apparatusand the advantages of the saine will be readily understood and apieciated 'D 'lic speakers are t.' ntiy embarrassed because, in the courseo't their remarks, they depart more or less troni the pre-arranged textand upon returning to the original theme lind that they have forgo-ttenthe prepared text immediately itollowing that which preceded thedigiession. litany lecturers or public speakers are enabled to :t'ollowthe pre-arranged argument by reference to short nieniorantia or notes,but other speakers are obliged to closely tolle i the original tent inorder to maintain the sequence et their discourse. lily inventionprovides means whereby a speaker may have at hand means entirely underhis control whereby proper reminders oit the tent will be constantlybetore him and embarrassing interruptions in delivery will be avoided.Prior to the opening et the lecture hall the web, having the addressprinted or written thereon, is placed in the cabinet and mounted uponthe rollers l2 and 13 in such position that the text may be easily readby the speaker through the sight opening lO while, et course, theaudience will not be able to see the cabinet nor any ot the motiontransmitting shafts, inasinuch as the decorations oia the platform andthe opening through which the audience views the plattorin and thespeakers thereon may be so arranged to completely hide all et theworking parts. The speaker will, of course, be delivering the greaterportion of his address immediately behind the desk and' may rotate theshaft or roller 38 by one hand as he needs to consult the prepared tex.Should he digress from the pre-arranged matter, the controlling roller38 will be pern initted to remain stationary during the imprompturemarks, and when it is desired to resume the original discourse, aglance at the cabinet will show the speaker how and where to proceed.

My apparatus is exceedingly simple and compact and may be easilyinstalled in any place intended for public assemblies. It will beunderstood. that the Asight opening in the cabinet will be glazed inorder to protect the text carrying web, and, preferably, a magnifyingglass will be employed for this purpose in order that distance betweenthe speaker and the cabinet will not prevent the ready reading of thematter appearing upon the web.

Having thus described the invention, I claim:

Means for prompting a speaker comprising in combination with a desk, anda roof overhanging the desk and having a depending portion forwardlyfofthe desk, of a cabinet mounted upon the depending portion of the roofand having a sight opening in its rear side, a prompting web, rollerswithin the cabinet above and below the sight opening thereof, one of therollers having the said web Wound thereon, a shafting connected with theother roller and having a p0rtion extending along `the said desk forrotation by the speaker to unwind the web from Vone roller and wind itupon the other roller.

In testimony whereof I ailix my signature.

MICHEL R. CASTILLE. [L s]

